Thursday, October 07, 2010

The Rays told C Dioner Navarro he was not going to be on the roster for the first round of the playoffs.

And Navarro told them he was going home.

The Rays wanted Navarro to remain with the team and keep working out so he’d be in shape in case they needed to add him to the roster in the event of injury, or for the next round should they advance.

INF/DH Willy Aybar, whose exclusion from the roster was a much bigger surprise (as the Rays chose OF/DH Rocco Baldelli and OF Desmond Jennings), and four left-off pitchers — RHP Andy Sonnanstine, RHP Lance Cormier and rookies RHP Jeremy Hellickson and LHP Jake McGee — all stayed with the team.

But Navarro, who was sent to the minors for two months and played sparingly after his Sept. 1 recall (10 games, five starts), declined, and seemingly brought his tenure with the Rays to a bad ending. He made $2.1 million this season and will be eligible for arbitration again.

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I remember when Dioner was the Great Yankee Trade Chip for two, three years running.

Dioner Navarro
Ian Kennedy
Austin Jackson

And now what's his face.

Am I just being paranoid in thinking the point of this post is to lump these guys together as overrated Yankee prospects? If so, I would argue that Kennedy and Jackson, as of right now, look like contributing major league regulars at bargain basement prices, so they're fulfilling their potential.

Am I just being paranoid in thinking the point of this post is to lump these guys together as overrated Yankee prospects?

Yes. I'm lumping together the guys who had a run of off-seasons/trade deadlines where every Yankee deal was based around the uber-prospect they weren't going to promote. It's not about what they did once they were actually shipped out of town.

While you are a good defensive catcher, when your passport onto the Rays was you were a slightly better hitter than Kevin Cash and not as expensive as Toby Hall, you probably don't want to piss off the team you play for.

Jeremy Hellickson didn't make the roster? Is anyone else surprised by this?

It's not really too surprising. Once they shifted him to the bullpen he pitched like crap, so there was no reason to include him as a reliever. In reality they probably should have left him in the rotation, but that ship sailed weeks ago when they took him out of the regular season rotation.

Gee, after Bartolo Colon picked up his ball and went home from the Red Sox, I don't think he got another invite... You'd think Navarro would be smart enough to know a move like this is basically the baseball equivalent of running naked through the streets covered in poo...

Gee, after Bartolo Colon picked up his ball and went home from the Red Sox, I don't think he got another invite... You'd think Navarro would be smart enough to know a move like this is basically the baseball equivalent of running naked through the streets covered in poo...

Colon signed with the White Sox the next season and actually pitched quite well when he was healthy.

OK - I'm confused. Isn't Navarro still under contract, so who cares what he wants to do - isn't it up to the employer. How are ballplayers paid, is it a 12 month cycle or just during the season. Obviously, if it's the former, this move by Navarro should cost him money. If it's the latter, then players go into the playoffs are playing for "love of the game" ??

If it's the latter, then players go into the playoffs are playing for "love of the game" ??

They get playoff shares, but I think those are usually far less per game than the highest-paid players get in the regular season. The Yankees got $365,052.73 for their 15 postseason games last year, which works out to around a $4 million salary over 162 games.

MLB salaries are paid in monthly installments during the regular season. Bonuses are paid out whenever the individual contract says they are.

As for what's up to the player and what's up to the employer, I don't think teams can force players who aren't on the active roster to stay with the team. Navarro's contractual obligation is to be available to play if the Rays choose to activate him. He doesn't have to be in the clubhouse in St. Pete today in order to be available for Saturday's game in Texas.